


Meeting of The Minds (Otto Octavius x Fem!Reader) Pt. 2

by EmpW



Series: Meeting of the Minds (Fem!Reader x Otto Octavius series) [2]
Category: Marvel, Spider-Man (Movies - Raimi), Spiderman - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, continuation of previous fic, no smut this time around, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:08:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28751181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpW/pseuds/EmpW
Summary: A Continuation of the previous fic with the same title. Originally posted on @reallyintouglyfos on tumblr.With Otto as your muse you set off to write the article that could turn public opinion of him around completely, but hit a bump in the road that jeopardizes what was already a delicate arrangement between the two of you.
Relationships: Doc Ock x Reader, Doctor Octopus x Reader, Otto Octavius x Reader
Series: Meeting of the Minds (Fem!Reader x Otto Octavius series) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106813
Kudos: 6





	Meeting of The Minds (Otto Octavius x Fem!Reader) Pt. 2

You sat at the coffee shop, nursing a cappuccino that had long since become ice cold. Your laptop was open in front of you as you mulled over a blank document that contained only a work in progress title. 

Doctor Octopus; Savage or Savant? 

True to your word you had decided to begin writing about Otto again, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that the piece you desperately wanted to pen needed time to be put out. New York simply wasn’t ready yet. 

You clicked onto a second document, one less controversial in your opinion. A simple retrospective of the key players in Nuclear Fusion that highlighted all the good Otto had contributed to the scientific community. Though as you skimmed through the sources you had cited, your eyes fell upon the name Jerry Williams PhD. 

After the incident at the panel Dr. Williams had been hospitalized, and depending on who you asked, remained in a coma ever since. It was difficult for you not to feel partly guilty, fluffing up the man who had injured the doctor in the same article that cited him. But, Otto Octavius was as complicated as he was brilliant...and volatile. That was how you chose to rationalize it anyway. 

You were about to close your laptop when you received a notification for an email. Despite your practice of skimming through work mail at the end of the day, you felt compelled to open this one in particular. 

As you read you felt your heart sink, and your palms sweat profusely. 

Y/N, 

I thought journalists were known for their research? I’d suggest you dig a little more into our doctor friend before making an even bigger mistake. I’ve gone ahead and done some of your job for you. Sidenote, think this’d make a good cover pic for your next article? 

Attached to the email was two files, one being an image file. 

The first file was a link, so erring on the side of caution you avoided clicking it right away. But the image file was enough to strike a profound sense of dread in you. 

Feeling paranoid you quickly packed up your belongings and left the café, a million thoughts running through your head. Who could’ve sent this? What did they know? How did they know about you and Otto’s...relationship. 

By the time you had gotten back to your apartment, Otto Octavius was already there, standing at your diminutive kitchen counter and turning a coffee mug disinterestedly with one of his tentacles. 

“Y/N, you’re finally home. I thought I'd stop by to see you.” He said. “Chat a little bit, drink some coffee.” 

He glanced over at you, now noticing how your arms were full of your writing set up, and the empty paper cup you clutched uselessly in your hand. 

“I guess that’s a no to the coffee.” He said slowly, suspicion creeping into his voice. He tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. “Is something wrong? You look a little shaken up.” 

You blinked in surprise, head foggy from anxiety. You felt as if Otto’s words were dropping like lead as he spoke. Your hesitation to respond wasn’t easing the tension either. 

“I’m…” You wondered if it was wise to lie to him, you didn’t want to, but you also wanted to avoid adding unnecessary stress to what was already a precarious arrangement between you two. You didn’t want to be alone again. 

“Y/N...did something happen?” He asked again, a concerned frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. 

You nodded wordlessly, feeling all the color rush out of your face as you sat down to show him what you had seen in the cafe. He put down the mug and made his way to stand behind you as you booted up your laptop and clicked on the offending email. You could hear Otto behind you mouthing the words as he read, before resting his finger above his lip tensely. When you turned around to look at him, you found his expression difficult to pin down. Though he fought hard to maintain a neutral expression, there was a flash of anger in his eyes, followed by sorrow. 

“Otto…Do you know who could’ve sent this to me?” You asked, voice breaking. 

His eyes didn’t leave the computer screen as he spoke. 

“This was exactly what I was afraid of.” He whispered through his fingers. “Someone’s using you to get to me.” 

“But why? What would they possibly want from you-” 

“Y/N I’m not exactly a humanitarian- I have enemies. It could be anybody in this city; Students, old business partners, the FBI, The Committee of Ethical Sciences.” 

“How did they know about me and you then? How did they get that pict-” You stopped yourself suddenly. You hadn’t opened up the files for him to see yet. 

Otto narrowed his eyes, and grabbing your laptop from you with two of his tendrils, he rested it onto one of his hands as he clicked around with the other. 

You watched the realization spread slowly on his face. 

The image had been a photo taken of you and Otto embracing on the balcony of your apartment. Judging by the clarity of the photograph there was a great deal of set up involved to take the picture at the right moment. You knew that meant whoever snapped the pic had been waiting to do so, possibly following Otto there from wherever he came from that day. 

“Y/N…..” He said, voice hardly audible. “I’m so sorry I- I was careless when I came here they must’ve..” 

He trailed off, eyes growing dark as clouds as his tentacles began to click around him anxiously. It looked to you as if he was muttering quietly to his mechanical appendages. You were unsure if he was attempting to calm down his tentacles, or if his tentacles we're trying to calm him. 

As you open your mouth to say something, Otto turned to leave with you just barely grabbing onto his coat sleeve as he attempted to climb off of your balcony.

“No wait!” You called out, using every ounce of strength in your hand to cling on to the man you loved. 

He tore his sleeve from your grip, causing you to stumble.

“You don’t understand! My life now, these things, They've taken from me too much already!” He snarled, his mechanical appendages screeching at the implied slight against them. 

“Otto we can figure this out! We can find out who did this and-”

“And what? Kill them? No. I’d never ask you to be involved with something like that. You need to forget you ever met me.” He grabbed your shoulders, you could feel his fingernails through your arm sleeves as he squeezed. 

“Promise me you’ll forget everything about us, you’ll clear your hard drives and never mention me again.”

Inside you raged at the unfairness of the request.

“Otto do you even know what you’re asking me to do? I’d never forgive myself if I let you go again. When you disappeared I had nothing left for me, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t sleep- Do you know why I kept going at all? I was holding on to the hope, that slim chance that maybe you’d return. That maybe we could try again to make this work because I love you. Because despite everything that’s happened, everything that you’ve done- I love you.”

“I know! And it tears me up every time I see you knowing the life you’ve chosen by doing so. You deserve better Y/N.” He let go of you, hands falling at his side. 

As he looked away, you reached up to caress his cheek. He placed a gloved hand over yours, and sighed. 

“Otto...It doesn't matter what you think I deserve. I want you.” 

You could see his eyes mist from behind his tinted glasses. He turned his face to kiss your hand softly. 

“If anything happens to you, if there’s even a scratch from this bastard I’ll-”

“I’m ready Otto. I know the risks- I’ve always known.” You said. “I’ve accepted it.”

Otto smiled, placing a small tender kiss on your forehead. 

“Okay Y/N. I won’t fight you. You’re a smart and capable woman, we’ll find who sent you that email and I’ll make sure it never happens again.” 

You hugged him, pulling him against your body as if afraid he’d change his mind again. He rubbed your back, holding you resting his chin atop your head. 

You wanted it to last forever, to live in this moment with Otto and to have him in your arms til the universe burnt out. 

But like all things, the moment wasn’t created with eternity in mind. 

“Y/N, I have to go. There’s things that still need to be dealt with but I’ll see you again soon.”

You looked up at him.

“Promise me you’ll be back.”

“You have my word as a man of science.” He reassured you, kissing you once more before disappearing off of the balcony and up the high-rise walls.   
As you watched him leave again, you felt a twinge of regret for not begging him to stay a little longer.

But he had his work to attend to, and you, feeling invigorated in the face of danger, had an article to publish.


End file.
